MUNICH, GERMANY - DECEMBER 09: Leon Goretzka of FC Bayern München runs with the ball during the UEFA Champions League Group A stage match between FC Bayern Muenchen and Lokomotiv Moskva at Allianz Arena on December 09, 2020 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
According to The Athletic (h/t Daily Star), Leon Goretzka opened up about the time when Liverpool were interested in his signature.
In 2018, when he made the move to Bayern Munich from Schalke, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was said to be interested in bringing the German to Anfield. However, the midfielder said he was 100% sure about joining the Bavarian giants at the time.
A youth product of the VfL Bochum academy, Goretzka actually started out at WSV Bochum in 1999. He started out for VfL Bochum in 2001 and spent nine seasons in their youth team before being promoted to the U-17 side. Successive promotions followed in the next few seasons and he was ultimately promoted to the senior side in 2012.
Goretzka spent just one season there before moving to Schalke in 2013. He came to be known as one of the best emerging youngsters during his time at Schalke. In the 5 seasons he spent there, he went on to make close to 150 appearances.
He allowed his contract to expire and joined Bayern Munich on a free transfer. Since then, he has become an integral part of the side, making 95 appearances to date, scoring and assisting 21 times each. The midfielder is a regular feature of the German national team now, with 29 caps and 12 goals to his name.
Liverpool have a rather good combination of midfielders at their disposal. Fabinho sits the deepest and snuffs out attacks. Henderson controls the pace of the game with his passing while Wijnaldum plays the box-to-box role.
Now the problem is, Henderson and Wijnaldum are both 30 and Wijnaldum’s future is rather uncertain. New signing Thiago has suffered a lot of injuries and the same applies toa Oxlade-Chamberlain. Naby Keita is yet to impress in a red shirt.
All this points to the fact that Liverpool do need to sign a quality midfielder within the next season or so. They could look to revisit their interest in Goretzka who has become one of the best in the business at Bayern. He has built some huge muscles and that gives him an even fearsome stature.
Goretzka can play in a variety of midfield positions, which would no doubt appeal to Liverpool. Another huge aspect of his game is that he brings goals to the team, something which is very helpful if the forwards have an off-day. He could be the perfect signing for Liverpool in the near future and they should look to bring him in soon.